Signaling in fluid systems



E. E. Buss.. SIGNALI'NG IN' FLUID SYSTEMS. APPLICATlON FILED FEB. 14 19H.'

1,41 3,3 1 3. Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

n i?) Q w .vu l() @fi @l @l IEE!! o Inventor:

Elrnerljss, bww

A UNITED ELMER r. BLIssfor soiiENn freni', iirnw Yoiannssienonro GENERAL nnnefrfaio f Coivirnivgneo'rtiomirioir 0F NEW YORK.

To all whom it may concer/rt:

rBe it .known that I, l:ELMR I?. Brass, a citizen of the United States, residing fat Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady, Stateof New York, haveV invented certain new and useful Improvementsv in Signaling in F luid" Systems, yof which the following is .a specification. i

This invention relates to a method of transmitting signals vin a compressed `'airor other fluid system and more especially lto a -method by' which signals vmay betrans-z mitted through the ordinary' air'` brake Vpipes which connect the various cars of modern railway trains. Objects fof iny-invention are to provide a `novel method and novel meansV of utilizing compressed fluid systems for means` of transmitting signals through railwaytrains by means of the train pipes-fof the compressed air' brake systems vwithout inducing undesired actionfon thepart` of various apparatus of the brake system; j

Itis wellv understood that some systenflV of'signalingis often necessaryjor desirable between thefdiiferentV units of'a railway train, especially where the train''is long )ora lsingle train is propelled by tWoloco1notives; unity of .action by the two locomotives" is ofgreatadvantage. Ii amlawa're that various means have beendevised 'in the past for utilizing for signaling purposesone'ofv the ,pipes ofthe compressed. air brake system. of the trainfbut all suchschemes have been based so far .as I am aware, on the'raising or lowering ofthe pressure throughout the wholeY system, as by pumpingv in more air on the'one hand or by venting the system to decreas-thepressure on theothe'r hand. In other words, the pressurev throughoutthe `whole system hasbeen materially raisedk the. receiving device is actuated. a z

My invention distinguishes from 1 such- Vor vlowered `lan appreciable value eachftiii'ieY prior practices in that Iset up only-pulsa?A tions ofl Vpressure 'change, such pulsations comprisinglocal iiuctuationslin pressure, or

pressure Vwaves, .which are transmittedthrough i the compressed-air system vacf cordance with any prearranged-code or systeni of--signals withoutgeither inateriallyincreasing the normalY pressure throughout the system or materiallyA lowering it, theeifect.

being analogous to the pulsating of thefblood [drivencompressoriA 4. The triple valve 7 i transmittinpl siGNALiNG rnninsrsrnns. Y spc'icauen pf Letters Patent, v Patnted Apr,18-, 1922,. Yiippiicatimi med rebuarfia., 1917.7; serial No.A ifiaeisi,Y i

-in-the arterial' system of thefhumanbody;

These1- pulsationsf are received by*y a Y'device somepart of which is arranged'to be vibrated'orotherwise operated byfthepulsaf i i tions, and the natural-frequency 'of'vibra'-V tion or other operation "of which ris equal to the frequencyj'of the fpulsations. ByfY the individual pulsations ,at the receiver may l be weak, theyfm'ay ybe made toV operate the 1 receiver utilizing Ithe cumulative Y' effect 'ff "several pulsations for each signal 'oreleel mentyof'a signal.'

form .ofv automaticl -air Vbrake system eing body'ing` my invention; Fig.' 2' shows@ ltrain f equipped with such a system and VFigs'f l I i for setting.upfthesignaling pulsations,

kBeferifi'ng'first to Figli of .i

VYande diagrammaticallyg'illustrat'etwo forms 0f mechanism so.v

The usual. train' pipefoff'an automatic .air-v Y brakensystem for railway t'rains". is shown,

trolle'd' for ythey l.purpose of, operating fthe rIhe necessary' air isg's'u'ppli'ed'to'the'lengi neers valve 2 from the Lmaingreservoirz whi'chi'nturn' is supplied by-the.motor-V controls' in thev usualv way the flow" of air' from the train` pipe `Ito the au-xiliaryreservoir 5' andthe admission ofuairto andits 1f. exhaust'filomj the'brake cylinder 6.*V AThe.

brake system illustrated is* of.V aY common' and wellknow'n typeand is Linerely illus? ventiony vinlay be vapplied no further-Qdescription. The fea-tures" of the'fluidsystem illustrated which y comprise .my invention consists ofjaf `and hence 'requires line at 8 in' ligs. lfandfQ, and -a receiving'or indicatingidevice 9.' I For certainv forms :of i' i i pulsator 8,'a sourcevof pressure -f'1O,"to"1pro-V trauveef any aua system te which sayin-gw:

ioorj vide airffor'the pulsator 8k under materially greater pressure than that-ofV the traiiifpipe i l :wi-llzbenecessaryit may he given its `presi,

sure, in any?..desiredA lway; lr These features 5- may IeSpeGtVely assume anyone of numer` ous forms and those forms I have shoivn and later described are substantially only illustrative. y

The receiving device illustrated at 9 is constructed on the principle oi the'ordina-ry steam or air gauge consisting ot' a sensitive Bourdon tube connected to a'system of multiplying links and levers arranged to operate a hammer between two, bells:` to give audible signa-ls. A transmitting device or pulsator 8 requiring a source of pressure 10 is shown developed in Fig. In this pulsator there isa valve '12 in the passage 13 between the pulsator source of pressure 10 and the trainpipe 1, and a valve 1li in an exhaust port 15 from the train pipe 1. These valves are interlocked and operated together, as by the stem 11 which is normally pressed to the right by the spring 16 so that the valve 12 normally closes passage 13, While the exhaust port 15 is normally open around the valve 14. A handle 17, pivoted at 18, is adapted to move the stem 11 to the left to open the passage 13 and close the exhaust` port 15. A. valve 19 Which normally closes the exhaust port 15 but Aopens automatically when the pressure in the train-pipe exceeds a predetermined value, tends to limit the pressure in the train pipe 1. A valve 20, also under the control of the pressure in the train pipe 1,

, closes the passage 13Vivhen the train pipe pressure exceeds a predetermined value. rIhe valves 19 and 2O may or may not be enclosed in the pulsator case 8. Then the operator desires to transmit a signal, he moves handle 17 to the right and then substantially immediately returns it to the position illustrated in Fig. 3; this momentarily opens the valve 12, the opening beingl ofsufricient size and being: suiicientlyquickly opened and closed to admit an impulse or pressure Wave toi the train-pipe fromthe reservoir'or source 10` Without admittingsufficient air to the pipe 1 to. materially lraise the ivliole pressure of this pipe. Thisimprulse passes through the train-pipe and operates upon the indieating device 9, but creates such small differences in pressure and exists at any one point in the train-pipe torsuch a short period ot time as to cause or result in no operation of the brake apparatus. A second and subse-V quent'impulses may be passed later, it being understood that the valve 12 is to be held open only momentarily for each impulse. The valve 14, closing the exhaust port' 15 While the' impulse is being startedl in vthe train-pipe, prevents t-he escape of the impulse or ivave of pressurey at'its inception by Way of the exhaust port 15. On theothe'r hand the exhaust port 15 and valve 19 pro.-v vide for the prompt release of any excess pressure throughout` the system Which may be caused bythe signaling'. Were no means provided to preventiiyothe operator might carelessly or otherwise ahold; the' 'valve"12 The pulsa-tor or' Fig. may be employed to completely operate ,the indicator 9 with each opening of the valve 12 so that each openingot the valve 12 results in the. trans-4 mission of a. complete signal oran element or part of a complete signal. In such'a case, of course, the pressurev Wave or pulsation admitted by the single opening or closing of the valve. 12 must be of suilicient amplitude to operate the indicator. How-` ever, the pulsator 8 may be operated, for example automatically, in such a Way as Vto Y set up in the pipe 1 a'plural ity ot pulsations or tram ol" pressure Waves :for each signal or element of acomplete signal, the ytrequenev I of the pluralityof pulsations or Waves of the train being substantially equal yto the natural frequency of the indicator. [The Waves of each series of pulsations in such a case may act cumulatively yonthe receiver to induce the signal or single: element offa signal. As above indicated,'one advantage of this tuningY and utilization of a -plu--y rality. of pulsations for each element of a signal, is thatthe individual pulsations at`v the receiver may be relatively weak, and licnce the indicator operated through` 'al longer length oflluid column or oiiieratedY by individually weaker pulsations at'the pulsator. Y

Fig. 4f illustrates diagrammat-ically a pulsator particularly adapted for providingV a plurality of pulsations or a train of. Waves for each. element of a signal or each opera; tion of the indicator. This pulsator 'comprises a cylinder 30 provided ivith a piston 31, fairly air-tight, movable therein. The interior of this cylinder 30 conimuni'cate'satthe face of the-.piston 31 with the train'pipe- 1; A motor' 33 through suitable gear-sand' linlrs is adapted to rapidly reciprocate the piston "Within theV cylinder 30. Such al tions ofany suitable frequency may be used, and that while a fairly low frequency will probably Anearly always be; required when each pulsation provides a complete element or part of a signal, in orderto avoid confusion, no such limitation is necessarily Y imposed on the frequency when a plurality of pulsatio-ns or train of pressure waves is employed for each element or part of a signal, and with suitable pulsators and indicators for each case the frequency may be anywhere within the range throughout which the fluid of the system is able to transmit distinct pulsations. l'

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which l now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and thatthe inventionrcaii loeV carried out by other means.`

What I claim as new and desireV to secure by Letters Patentof the United States, is

1Q The method of transmitting signals in quency Without varying. the amount of air within the trainy pipe, and'v operating ata-' Y distant point directly by said pulsations aY vibrating indicator Whose natural frequency i correspondsto the yfrequency `of said pulsations. Y

2. The combinationwitha fluid system comprising a confinedycolumn of fluid, of controllable means for setting up a plurality of pulsations or-trains of pressure waves: of

frequency ofjs'aid pulsations.

l3. The combination with a railway air brake system comp-rising a train pipe ,carry-v ing air under pressure, of controllable meansv connected to said train pipe for setting upa plurality of pulsations or trains of pressure waves of a predetermined frequency in the air within the train pipe, and a vibrating indicatorconnected tovsaid train pipe at a point remote from said first mentioned means, operated directly by said pulsations Y y f and having a natural frequency substantially equal to the frequency of said pulsations.

In witness whereof, `I have hereunto set` my hand this 13th day of February 1917.

` iaiiitfinii ii. iaiiiss.k 

